Instrument panel illumination



Sept. 15, 1931. J. ZUBATY INSTRUIENT PANEL ILLUMINATION Filed Nov. 30,1928 Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH ZUBATY,OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO A s am: PLUG COMPANY, or

FLINT, MICHIGAN, A COMPANY OF MICHIGAN INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATIONApplication filed November 30, 1928. Serial No. 322,853.

This invention is directed to improvements in'internally lightedinstruments, such as instruments for use upon thev dash or instrumentboards or panels of automotive vehicles,said instruments being commonlyproance but clearly legible either by day or by ing the same topredetermined night.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide, for use in, forexample, an electrical instrument wherein moving parts are supported bymeans of an electrically conductive bracket, a dial which may be formedof a non-magnetic material, spaced from the walls of the instrumentcasing, and carried by said bracket which is provided with characters orindicia some or all of which are cut partially .or entirelytherethrough,strips of colored translucent material being. optionallyemployed at an opening through which light is admitted to the instrumentcasing and/or directly at the rear of said dial, and opaque charactersor character outlines being ordinarily employed only in case said dialis also cut through or is not opaque. By a suitable superimposition oftranslucent dial elements and/or cutting, vetching, orintaglio-stampdepths, with or without local additions of opaque or othercoloring matter outlining or otherwise designing the desired charactersor indicia, various special cameo effects, and other unusual effects,may be obtained.

Other objects of this invent-ion may be best appreciated from thefollowingdescription 9f an illustrative embodiment thereof, taken 1nconnection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 may be referred to as, for the most part, a verticalsection,taken substantially as indicated by the line 11 of Fig- ;rre2,interior parts being shown in eleva- Figure 2 is, for the most part, aforwardlooking elevational view, parts being broken away substantiallyas indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view, which may be regarded as taken in aplane such as 'that suggested by the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

but showing an extreme form.

Referring to the details of that specific embodiment of the presentinvention which has been chosen for purposes of illustration, an ammetercasing 10 is shown as disposed between an outer instrument panel orplate 11 and a parallel inner plate 12,the former being apertured toreceive a bezel or assembling and centering frame element 13, which mayengage said casing by means of a flange 14 in such manner as to retain aglass closure plate 15 between suitable gaskets or cushioning backingelements 16, 16'.

A light source 17 is shown as supported by the inner plate 12 in such amanner as to project a suitable beam of light through a lateral aperture18, provided in the casing 10; and a conductive bolt 19' is shown asextending through coincident apertures 20 and 21, provided respectivelyin the plate 12 and the casing 10,-insulation being interposed at 22,23. and 24 and held under compression between a head 25 and a nut 26.The head 25 may retain a conductive bracket 27 adapted to support themoving and/or the stationary parts 28 of the instrument,an ammeter beingshown.

Mentioned parts being of any usual or preferred design, the illustratedembodiment of the, present invention proposes to support a dial 29,which may be formed of a translucent and non-magnetic material such aspyralin, entirely from the bracket 27 or its equivalent,the periphery ofthe dial being shown as spaced away from the casing 10. A translucentand suitably colored material being deemed preferable to an entirelytransparent material for use in the dial 29, numerals 3O and/or othercharacters or legends and/0r graduations 31, ordinarily to be read withthe aid of an indicating element 32, may

be provided u on said dial-by the use of an opaque or di erently coloredink and/or by partially or completely perforating the dial,-as suggestedin connection with the numerals 30 and certain longer lines included inthe arcuate series of graduations 31; and,

if desired, a sheet of colored or translucent material may be applied,in arcuate or other form and somewhat as suggested at 33, rearwardly ofthe dial 29 and in such manner as to impart a distinctive color to thecharacters 30 and or lines 31, when seen by transmitted light, ascompared with the effects of reflected day light.

It will be understood that, to assure distinctive optical eflects by dayand by night, in case the mentioned connections and/ or indicia are cutsubstantially through the dial 29 said dial may be formed of arelatively opaque material and the borders of any characters or otherindicia so provided may, if.

desired, be edged with opaque or other coloring matter; but, to adaptthe dial to illumination from its rear, it is desirable to form saidcharacters or other indicia entirely by the use of opaque ink only incase the dial 29 is translucent. For the exclusion of dust or for acolor eflect, the opening 18 in the casing 10 may be provided with atranslucent sheet of suitable material in a known manner, as at 34.

Afiording a somewhat extreme illustration of what may be done within thescope of the present invention it is assumed in exaggerated-scale Figure3 that a dial is built up (whether locally or throughout its entirearea) by the addition of an intermediate pink sheet 33a and an inner redsheet 33b to an outer cream sheet 29a,all of these sheets beingtranslucent and both the characters 30a and the longer graduations 31abeing cut through sheets 29a and 33a. In

' may be opaque,

alternative possibilities being suggested this figure, the sheet 33b isreserved uncut in order to produce something of a cameo efiect bycomparison with a one-ply cut or depression at 35a and a V plydepression at 36a (corresponding to arcuate lines 35 and 36, Fig. 2).The inwardly-extending edges of characters 30a and those of the maingraduations 31a are respectively shown as stained pink (or red) andorange, and as bordered by opaque ink lines 37 a; and, to emphasize thementioned cameo eflect, the short graduations 38 may be cut or stampedto an intermediate depth, as suggested by the dotted line 38a.

Alternatively the outer or main dial element even though any or all ofthe remaining suggested elements be employed therewith.

Although the foregoing description has included details in regard to butone completeembodiment of the'present invention, various y way ofillustration, it will be understood not only that some features of thisinvention might be separately employedbut also that numerousmodifications, in addition to those referred to therein, might easily bedevised,- all without involving the slightest departure from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

I claim: 1. For use in an instrument eral character described: atranslucent dial provided with indicia cut therein and producing adistinctive optical effect by transmitted light, as compared with dayliht effects due to reflection of light there rom,-- some of said indiciabeing outlined in a material more opaque than that of said dial.

2. In combination with an indicating instrument, a dial of translucentmaterial, characters carried by said dial, said characters .bein of acolor different from the color of the dial so that one color contrastbetween the characters and the dial will be observed when the dial isilluminated by reflected light, and illuminatin means located behindsaid dial and adapte to cause light rays to be transmitted through saiddial, the material of the dial being of such a color that a difierentcolor contrast between the characte and the dial will be observed whenthe latte is illuminated by transmitted light from said illumintitingmeans.

3. In combination with an indicating inof the gencharacters carried bysaid dial, said characters being of a color different from the color ofsaid dial so that one color contrast between the characters and the dialwill be observed when the dial is illuminated with reflected light,illuminating means located behind said dial and adapted to cause lightrays to be transmitted through the latter, and colored means locatedbetween the dial and said illuminatin means so that a diffrent colorcontrast hetween the characters and the dial willbe observed when thelatter is illuminated by. transmitted light from said illuminatingmeans.

4. In combmat1on with an indicating instrum'ent, a dial of translucentmaterial,

characters carried by said dial, said characters being of a colordifierent from the color of said dial and of a different degree ofopaqueness than the material of said dial so that one color contrastbetween the characters and the dial will be observed when the latter isilluminated by reflected light, and illuminating means lopated behindsaid dial and adapted to cause light rays to be transmitted through thelatter so that a different color contrast between the characters and thedial will be observed when the latter is illuminated by transmittedlight from said illuminating means.

5. In combination with an indicating instrument, a dial of translucentmaterial, characters carried by said dial, said characters being of acolor different from the color of said dial and of a diflerent degree ofopaqueness than the material of said dial so that one color contrastbetween the char-- acters and the dial will be observed when the latteris illuminated by reflected light, illuminating means located behindsaid dial,

and colored means located between the characters and said illuminatingmeans so that a different color contrast between the characters and thedial will be observed when the latter is illiiminated by transmittedlight from said illuminating means. it

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

J OSEPH' ZUBATY.

